Taoiseach Micheál Martin says EU Commissioner Phil Hogan should apologise for attending the event in Galway, adding he “should be far more fulsome in his response, and should understand the anger across the country” | Live updates: https://t.co/Vk3CyLuRsl pic.twitter.com/tQgF4rCRV5
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 21, 2020
Tonight.
Following the Taoiseach’s call for an apology, a spokesperson for Mr Hogan said he would not have attended had he thought that the event did not comply with Government guidelines.
“The Commissioner apologises for the distress caused by his participation,” said the spokesperson.
Earlier…
EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan
1) I attended the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner on Wednesday on the clear understanding that the organisers and the hotel concerned had been assured [by the Irish Hotels’ Federation] that the arrangements put in place would be in compliance with the government’s guidelines.
— Phil Hogan (@PhilHoganEU) August 21, 2020
2) Prior to the event, I had complied fully with the government’s quarantine requirements, having been in Ireland since late July.
— Phil Hogan (@PhilHoganEU) August 21, 2020
Um
Blame the hotel.
Sure why not?
Earlier: Par For The Course
Meanwhile…
We understand Phil Hogan has been spending some of his time, since returning to Ireland, at a property in Co Kildare. For the last two weeks, Kildare residents have been asked not to leave the county for non-essential journeys. The Commissioner has yet to reply to our inquiries.
— Gavan Reilly is actually still on holiday (@gavreilly) August 21, 2020
Ah, Phil.
Earlier: Resigned [Updated]
“An Unintended But Serious Lapse Of Judgment”
He’s a class act.
Pity he didn’t have eyes to see what was going on around him.
You beat me to it – he should’ve gone to Specsavers.
Via Durham castle or whatever.
+100
Big Phil will ignorant this out.
No chance of a resignation here.
It would be too much to expect them to be able to count. Did everyone pay their own way, or was the tax payer footing the bill?
Presumably, big Phil, as he is affectionately known, stormed out of the event in a huff before the entrées arrived.
Well, he’s hit the headlines in the likes of the New York Times.
Any sightings of him since late July. ? Here or abroad (Malta even)?
Epstein island.
I’d say.
EVERYONE MUST BE TESTED- its the only fair and decent thing to do.
For Covid or for “Judgement”?
Let’s start with CoVid-19- stupidity is not infectious.
Have you been asleep for the last few years? :-)
not sure about that, stupidity can be pretty contagious in certain environments
Do as I say, not as I do!
I see the Judge has apologized (kind of). No resignation.
To put his attendance in context…… he advised the government on legal matters, including assistance on the Covid-19 emergency laws introduced during the pandemic.
So Judge – resign now. You’re in with the clique. The Irish equivalent of Bilderbergers – BallyBurgers.
Ah no, it was a proper apology, I think. But he needs to resign.
I suppose it was to be fair. But it doesn’t stack up to say that when he realized how the event was being run, he stayed there anyway. He was involved in the legislation etc. for Covid, and broke his own input.
“stayed there anyway”
Absolutely. It’s total boopy-loopy.
I have heard more convincing excuses from the mouths of five years olds
He has been nominated by the Irish Government to be a Commissioner and if an Irish
Government Minister has to resign surely he can longer hold such a position at EU
Level and the same goes for Mr Woulfe the previous Government principal legal
adviser and now a perspective nominee to the highest court in the land, if we allow
this then we can not question any one else on their behaviour
The difference is a minister can be fired by the Taoiseach. The Judge and Commissioner can’t.
I’m not condoning anyone behaviour- they all need to take responsibility for attending/staying at the dinner. But there is a difference between a Minister resigning (he’s still a TD)/or the Leas-Cathaoirleach resigning (he’s still a Senator) versus a High Court judge or EU Commissioner.
If the latter need to resign/retire then the TD and Senators should also leave their seats.
Is there anything to be said for another mass… resignation?
+160
TEST TEST TEST- keep the fear going.
It’s interesting that they all seem to have attended in the assumption that the event would comply with the guidelines, but then all decided to stay on anyway when it became readily apparent that the event was not complying with guidelines. I sense perhaps…..they’re full of poop?
I went to a friends gathering thinking it was only going to be 6 people.
Upon arrival, it turned out to be a mega house party.
Soz…
And, sure, it’d be rude to leave. All my best friends stayed on too so it must’ve been ok.
i hate phil hogan. the amount of damage he’s done to ireland, and more he tried to do. and with such vacant apathy. doenst care about people. and now this, i knew he wouldnt apologise, but rather attribute blame elsewhere. classis FG tool.
I was wondering about the question of whether Phil had done his 2 week quarantine on coming back from Brussels.
Then I thought, sure the European commission is big on transparency, so each commissioners calendar is published on their website.
On checking I see significant number of calendar entries for each of the European commissioners except Phil.
Phil has a grand total of zero entries in his calendar for 2020. Each of the other 26 commissioners have loads of entries.
This raises even more questions about Phils integrity. Did he delete his calendar, is openness and transparency for everyone else except for Phil, are his staff completely useless and don’t update his calendar. What is it.
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/commissioners/2019-2024/calendar_en?field_editorial_section_multiple_tid=444&date_filter_min%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=01/01/2020&date_filter_max%5Bvalue%5D%5Bdate%5D=31/08/2020
Calleary had a video call with him on 28th July. (You’ll find it on the Agriland website)
Here’s a link to other meetings (not his diary mind you which is empty as you say). He had a video meeting on 30th July (last entry)
http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyinitiative/meetings/meeting.do?host=65110a9d-dfdf-418d-a5ee-c5c8bcc8707e
Don’t Phil My Diary Hogan
D’ya know
I’ve developed a bitta’ve soft spot for oul’ big Phil
He’ll brazen his way out of anything
No spin
No ‘online actiBots’
No Communications Gurus or Special Advisors
Proper old fashioned hard necked man
And the holes start to appear in Septic Phil’s 14 day isolation fable. He travelled from Kildare to Dublin on the 12th day of it to meet….Varadkar. So not only did he not complete his period of isolation, but he also exited Kildare while it was under lockdown. And he ‘isolated’ in the K Club. And then attended this shindig. What a waste of space.
And there’s Paudge Connolly who didn’t isolate after returning to Spain… so will his table isolate now? me thinks not
Friend of mine in Spain at the moment and will isolate upon return. Says that Spain is taking this seriously and no one in Madrid is without masks in public.
It’s mad they can do what they like ,When they like ,big wages no one says a thing
Mary: They’re on massive salaries and expenses (as opposed to wages), bonus envelopes and everything else that goes with a privileged position of abusing the taxpayers’ pocket and civil liberties.
My only question is: where is Rob who underscored? Or Cian the pencil sharper? I’d say the fire brigade are working overtime on Kildare St. tonight.
Questions, questions, so many questions…
Hogan – you went to a golf do in a pandemic!!! If only we didn’t need your arrogant stupidity for BREXIT, which is seriously messed up…
omni-muppets
According to an anonymous witness to the Irish Times (guest in the hotel where this happened). None of them wore masks and they shook hands, no social distancing etc.
I just don’t get it. They get the info about Covid before the public so surely they’d be aware of the risks so why so relaxed about it all? I just don’t understand why they are so chilled, is the risk actually not that grave?
I’m not trying to pander a conspiracy theory but I just don’t get it. Or maybe they are all that thick with power?
“anonymous witness to the Irish Times”
well let’s see what Sunday morning brings Birdie
the phones be hopping right now across Dublin + Cork:
– party hacks deep digging to find out if any further embarrassment incoming on the social media
– handlers warning everyone in the team to keep schtum
– spinners assembling counter narratives, shiny things to distract you with, instructions to the usual weekend radio show suspects
– a few visits to the Sinn Fein archives
– favours being called in from the traditional media
well we’ve certainly made the news around the world with this
good job fuppheads – ye’ve made a holy show out of us
So he break the Kildare lockdown. Finally admitted it eh. https://amp.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/phil-hogan-now-admits-he-stopped-in-locked-down-kildare-on-way-to-golf-dinner-39471301.html?__twitter_impression=true
Getting ‘essential work documents’ en route to Galway.
Mehole